I'm having some issues with my 5 year old and I don't know whether I should be worried and getting him seen by someone or whether its normal 5 year old behaviour.

He gets on fine in school (snr infants) and cr che, no issues with behaviour, no difficulties in school, apparently above average in many aspects and no areas of particular weakness. He has always been a bit more highly strung at home, needs attention, impatient, can have tantrums. It just in the last couple of months, there are a few things that I had been hoping he would grow out of and that my 3 year old has now grown out of so I'm wondering if there is something I should be concerned about. So, the things I'm talking about are:-

- tantrums - escalate very quickly, crying, throw himself on floor/couch, can be cos he doesn't like the clothes he's putting on, doesn't like the look of his dinner, can't get something to work quickly enough. When this happens, I tell him to stop the tantrum and talk and ask for help, which works, but hasn't reduced the frequency of the tantrums. Also tried reward charts for not having any tantrums, but that hasn't worked (they have worked in other areas)

- unable to sit still, even when sitting watching tv, he'll be pushing toys/chairs/whatever with his feet

- not good with personal space - he constantly climbs all over me, regularly hits/kicks his brother, accidentally, but by just not be aware of space. Will bump into strangers as well if out, say standing in a q, he'll bump into the people in front. He seems totally unaware he's even doing it.

- biting/chewing - he puts everything and anything into his mouth and bites things, has broken toys or will bite bits of toys off

- he goes to sleep, by himself, fine. However, 80% of nights, he'll wake at some point and come into our bed

I should also say he's quite active, does some sort of activity (PE, sports, swimming), 5 days a week and is generally a happy, confident, sociable child. Just these behaviours can wear me out and as I say, I was hoping he'd have grown out of some of them by now! Anyone any advice, is it just typical 5 year old or any tips on who to see if necessary?

HiMake sure the OT is experienced in assessing sensory processing issues as some OTS are very experienced in motor skills and motor function but may have only slight experience in relation to sensory processing. Several children I work with received many sessions on motor skills and very little sensory processing work. Best of luck. Keep in touch Siobhan

3 of the activities happen during school and then 2 at the weekend so I don't think he's overdoing it, plus he didn't have any of those in summer and it didn't make it any better, worse if anything cos he had energy that needed to be burned off! They do a chill out time in cr che after school and once we're home in the evenings, we just chill out, they get their screen time and lots of cuddles. As I'm writing, I'm wondering is boredom part of the issue, might try having some specific, non-physical activities to do to give him something to focus on...

Thanks all, think I'll see an OT to put my mind at rest, I'm 99% sure that autism isn't the problem, there are no other issues, he's very sociable with both adults and kids, very affectionate, no previous development delays at all, was always ahead of the milestones. He didn't have any activities on over the summer and it didn't make a difference. Will keep a note of sleep/food too and if there's any change in the behaviour and see if I can narrow it down.

sorry to hear your having some difficulties verv- must be very wearing for you. Just an idea but I have heard of some children having behavoural issues when they eat something that they are sensitive to - eg some artificial sweeteners or colours, Patrick Holford has written a lot about this and about food which feed our brains and our kid's brains,

Hi sorry to hear that your son is having a few difficulties. Whilst it is not possible to identify any particular condition via a forum such as this it is possible to say that the things you have described could fall under the category of sensory processing difficulties. Sensory processing is the way the brain works with the rest of the body to make sense of all the information coming in from the senses (seeing,hearing,smelling,tasting,touching,balance and coordination ). The brain also interprets the sensations within the body and sends messages to the senses. If the brain is not doing all this efficiently and effectively it can result in problems with emotional regulation, social skills motor skills and other aspects of development. The child may be intelligent but seem immature. The difficulties may be severe or very subtle. They can be present on their own or as part of autism. When part of autism there are other difficulties -with imagination, dealing with change,difficulty with empathy and delay in social skills.

The best person to start with for support would be your public health nurse who may suggest contact with an occupational therapist who are the professionals who assess for Sensory Processing Disorder. You may wish to go directly to a private OT. If you have concerns about your son's development you can ask the PHN to refer for an assessment of need or you can self refer by getting the form on line or at local health centre. If you would like advice regarding behaviour you can PM me or ask here. I am a behaviour therapist. Your son may be just a little slow to learn how to self regulate and may just catch up himself in time. But trust your instincts and get things checked out if you feel that's what he needs. Siobhan